Organosulfides are useful in a number of ways. Many sulfides are solvents, plasticizers and processing aids for various other organic materials. Some diorganosulfides, such as phenylpropylsulfide, are useful as corrosion inhibitors, hair growth stimulators, and as extractants for noble metals.
The preparation of organosulfides using mercaptans as reactants involves a metathesis, or interchange, reaction between the organic radical of the mercaptan and one or more of the organic substituents of an organosulfide reactant. Such reactions generally have low conversion and selectivity values.